Droid X

I finally got around to buying a new phone today, after having run out my contract with Sprint months ago. I’d been wavering between a Droid and an Iphone for a while, and then Full Tilt went and made the decision for me by releasing a Beta version of Rush Poker runnable only on Droid. I already knew I wanted to be with Verizon, so it was just a question of whether to get the Droid X or the Incredible. I figured the larger screen would be good for poker, so I went for the Droid X. Only had it a few hours, but so far it seems pretty cool.

The guy who sold it to me was pretty ridiculous. I came in knowing what I wanted: which phone, which plan, etc. He was immediately trying to sell me on a two-year contract and downright distraught when I declined the insurance. I believe, “I would never have a $500 phone without insurance.” As a debater, I’m always tempted to try to refute stupid arguments like this, but I have to remind myself that this isn’t a situation where I’m going to convince him of anything. He may or may not actually realize why it’s a bad investment, but it’s not like he’s ever going to be like, “Oh hey you’re right that insurance totally is a losing proposition for anyone who can afford to buy a new phone if necessary.”

So anyway he needs my e-mail address and I decide to give him my thinkingpoker one. Big mistake. He asks if I make money playing poker, and I just shrug and say, “It’s paying for the phone.”

“Where do you play?”

“Online.”

“Yeah like which sites?”

“Just Poker Stars and Full Tilt these days.”

“I used to play online. I’m convinced it’s rigged.”

Oh god are we really going to have this conversation? It’s literally ripped straight from the pages of BBV.

“Think about it. How many times have you had the second nuts, and they give someone else the nuts?”

“If it is rigged, it seems to be rigged in my favor, so I guess I’m OK with it.”

“There’s so many people on there who just don’t care. They go all in with anything. Hard to beat that.”

“Hm.”

“I love putting bad beats on people though. Isn’t that the best feeling?”

Please stop.

“Like this one time, I was playing at Commerce- it’s this card room in LA.”

“Yeah, I know the Commerce.”

“So I was playing in a 5/10 game…”

I’d been avoiding eye contact to signal my lack of interest in this conversation, but this got my attention. Does this nimrod really play 5/10?

“There was this guy playing crazy aggressive, just raising everything.”

“That sounds like the Commerce.”

“So you know I’m just sitting back, taking stock of the situation. I only have a couple hundred dollars, so I don’t want to get caught. Then I pick up Rockets.”

Naturally you call them Rockets.

“He raises, and I re-raise, and we end up capping it.”

Ah, of course. You are playing 5/10 limit. That makes more sense.

Whatever, I’ll spare you the rest of a long and boring story. Board comes out Q422A, and they cap it all the way, and his opponent had Q2 and was pissed. I just thought it was ironic that this clown was trying to convince me both that online poker was rigged and that buying $9/month insurance, with a fucking $90 deductible on top of that, was a good idea.

But yeah, I’m finally a smart phone owner. Hopefully I’ll be able to report on the quality of the mobile Rush Poker experience soon.

20 thoughts on “Droid X”

  1. 1 table Rush poker seems well suited for this – you can play a few hands and not worry as much about a spotty connection – I’m looking forward to your review of it

  2. That story was hilarious. “I was playing at the Commerce – it’s this card room in LA.”

    While you may have given up on convincing him insurance is a bad deal, he certainly wasn’t going to give up on convincing you online poker is a losing proposition… maybe he wanted to get you “thinking poker.”

    Really enjoy your blog.

  4. Hrr? You made your decision on which phone to buy based on being able to 1-table rush poker, which you are never, ever going to do? You mean you really are going to try and scratch out a few hands on the bus (or the limo, as the case may be) instead of doing something actually fun with your downtime from “work”?

    I dunno. Must be a level. I actually think I would rather watch an episode of Tony G’s ridiculous ranting on the “Big Game” than squint at some scintillating $1/$2 rush action while in line at the movies.

    • On another note – salespeople trying to sell you insurance is possibly one of the most annoying things about going shopping, right up there with every damn store marking up “accessories” by 400%. And you are completely right – it is impossible to make them see that the fact that they are trying to sell it you so hard means they are getting a big cut which, in turn, means it is overpriced and can’t be a good deal for you.

      • Yeah I mean I’m sure he still would have pushed it but I think this guy honestly believed I was stupid not to get the insurance. He just couldn’t get over the fact that this was a $500 phone and if I broke it would cost $500 to replace it! Maybe $400 if I was lucky enough to find one ebay!

        • I remember that experience from buying an LCD TV a few years ago. $2k TV, salesman tries to sell me 3-year $400 insurance for it. I make a surprised face and ask, is the failure rate on these TVs over 20%? He just looked confused and reiterated what a great deal it was.

    • With my current lifestyle, I spend a lot of time on the road or otherwise away from my computer. Having the option of playing 2/4 Rush from my phone is pretty huge for me.

      • Download a tethering app and use your phone as a source for internet for a laptop. I have played Rush on my phone, and it just is way too slow and clunky.

        I downloaded EasyTether, and I use it to 4-table on a laptop while my wife is driving.

        • Thanks! I’ve generally used an aircard for this purpose, but that’s with AT&T, so I have a feeling this may replace it. There are times when I’m not around the laptop, though.

      • I really think that you are never ever going to play 2/4 rush on the phone. In my experience, any situation where you are not around a laptop on the road is one where you should not be working. But anyway, the Droid is still a great choice for phone and I think you’ll enjoy it a lot.

    • Which is ironic considering iPhone is “all flash” and no substance. Haha, overstatement but worth it for a cheesy pun.

      I do loathe Flash, but I also loathe iPhone/iPod/etc’s anti-competitive controls. Sigh, always tough to choose between hates…

  8. Commerce doesn’t have 5/10 limit, at least last time I played those stakes a few years back. Most casinos don’t spread 5/10 limit because it would either have to be a 1/2 chip structure with $5 chips (undesirable because pots look too small) or a 5/10 chip structure with $1 chips (undesirable because pots become unwieldy).

    They have $1/2 through $4/8 (with $1 chips), $6/12 and $8/16 (with $2) and $9/18 (with $3). After that, it’s $20/40 (with $5) and on up from there.

    Is it possible that this learned gentleman wasn’t telling you the truth?

    • It’s possible, but I think it’s more likely he was misremembering it. Or maybe he was playing 4/8 and trying to make himself sound cooler or something.

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